The college was founded in 1960 as a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, and the original college buildings were designed by Sheppard Robson following one of the most important architectural competitions of the post-war period.

In 2008, architectural practice 6a won an international competition to add the new courtyard building.

A spokesman said: “The foundation of Churchill College pioneered both the radical expansion of university education and British architecture. Today the Grade II-listed college is one of the finest examples of English Brutalism in the UK.

“Half a century after the college was founded, Cowan Court turns the picturesque Brutalism of the original college towards the 21st century. 6a has transformed the raw sensuality of the original brick and board-marked concrete courts into an innovative, contemporary, low-energy timber building.”